More Than Anything
by swordsandstories
Summary: The Doctor talks with Tentoo about his decision to leave Rose on Bad Wolf Bay. Spoilers for Journey's End!


**Hello again you magnificent people! :)**

**This has been floating around for quite a while now. It's been sitting in my notes on my iPod, where it has been left alone for far too long. I had a long car trip which I took advantage of to write this. I feel okay with how it turned out, mostly I tried to keep it clear so you knew what was happening. I hope it worked. **

**To clear things up, this is set after the Doctor has dropped Mickey, Martha, Captain Jack, and Sarah Jane off on Earth. Rose, Donna, Tentoo and the Doctor are all on the Tardis. The Doctor is about to take Rose and Tentoo to Bad Wolf Bay. If you don't understand anything else shoot me a message. Anyway, enough of my silly rambles. :) Hope you like it!  
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The Tardis took off with the familiar grind of ancient engines, sending them spinning into the time vortex. The rhythmic sliding motion of the central column in the console room made the Metacrisis Doctor smile. This was where he belonged. Here, in the Tardis, with Rose, Donna, and the other Doctor to keep him company.

"I could really go for some tea right now," the 'real' Doctor said with a smile. He was leaning on the Tardis console, his brown jacket held next him. That Doctor's eyes flicked up to the man dressed in blue, and the Metacrisis Doctor could see right through the man's show of happiness. He knew that behind that smile was a world of pain just ready to unfold. After all, he _was_ the Doctor. He had all of the Time Lord memories and emotions. He knew how he hid his emotions and what he was thinking.

Rose and Donna glanced up from their discussion. They were leaning on one of the coral beams by the Tardis door.

Donna grinned, "I'll take some, spaceman."

Rose smiled at the Doctor and bit her lip. "Me too."

"Right then!" The Doctor in brown sprung up from his position next to the council, and bounced towards the hall with his usual energy.

The Metacrisis Doctor, seeing the slightly sad look in the Doctor's eyes, jumped out of his position in the console chair. "I'll help!" He said with a grin. "Nothing like a little Doctor-Doctor bonding time!"

Despite the smile on his face and the spring in his step, the brown suited Doctor had sounded like he was miserable to the Metacrisis Doctor. Rose and Donna didn't notice, but maybe that was because it wasn't themselves they were talking to.

Having two Doctor's made life complicated.

The Metacrisis Doctor followed the other Doctor into the many winding passageways of the Tardis, running his right hand - how he loved that hand - against the side of his beautiful ship. The Tardis gave a delighted hum, and the Metacrisis Doctor couldn't stop the smile that he reserved particularly for her. Their minds met in a brief connection, and then the Tardis's consciousness flitted away from him. Though she was already gone, echoes of her personality still rang through his mind.

He loved the Tardis.

The Metacrisis Doctor followed the Time Lord Doctor deeper into the Tardis, frowning when he realized just how deep they were heading.

"Why don't you ask the Tardis to move the kitchen closer?" he asked.

The Doctor in the brown suit didn't turn around, just continued stalking down the hall. "I don't want them to hear."

His words were short and deliberate, which to others might have sounded like he was angry and didn't want to talk. The other Doctor recognized that tone however. It meant that he was upset, trying to hide it, and he didn't know _how_ to talk. There were very few people the Doctor was willing to talk to, and he still wasn't sure how to express himself. Even if he wanted to talk, it was hard for him.

The Metacrisis Doctor knew the feeling.

Well, he knew the feeling, but he didn't. He considered the other Doctor's memories and emotions his, but he still wasn't sure if they _were_ his. He was like a regeneration, he realized, except his personality was almost identical to his old regeneration's. As far as he knew. Good thing he had plenty of time to figure it out.

The Doctors stopped outside a door that was identical to the rest. The door opened with a hiss at the approach, but neither of them made to go through the door. The brown suited man had his hand pressed the frame, unsure whether or not he wanted to walk through. Walking through those doors with his blue suited companion meant something rare for either Doctor. The Metacrisis Doctor knew that walking through those doors meant committing himself to talking. Actually talking. About feelings.

Ugh. His new self was such a girl.

"Don't worry, mate." The Doctor in blue reached forward, resting his hand in a comforting manner on the others shoulder. "It's only yourself your talking to."

The real Doctor offered a weak smile. "I know. I do it all the time."

He removed his hand from the door frame, and the Metacrisis Doctor followed him into the kitchen.

The room was, as always, immaculate. The Tardis kept the kitchen sparkling, which made a slight contrast to the rest of the ship. Both the alien and Man-made equipment had a worn air about them, but it was still kept spectacularly tidy by the Tardis's cleaning system. The Doctor immediately began working his way about the kitchen to start the tea.

The Metacrisis Doctor sighed, and walked towards an out of the way counter top. He jumped onto it, using it as a chair. He had to slouch forward slightly so he wouldn't hit his head on the cabinets. He rested his hands on his lap an threaded his finger together, prepared to wait.

For a while, they said nothing. One Doctor distracted himself with making tea and the other sat there. He knew it would take a while for himself to build up the courage to breach the topic. He could face down Daleks, defeat legions of Cyberman, adventure through unknown hostile ships, and he wouldn't feel the slightest bit nervous. But having to talk? It made his stomach churn and butterflies appear in massive swarms. He was simply afraid of saying the wrong thing.

It was something he admired humans for. They had a way of stringing together words to explain their position without inflicting pain on themselves. The Doctor's feelings - the words he used - had a way of making him incredibly sad and forlorn. The Metacrisis Doctor hated the feeling, and didn't blame his other self for wanting to carefully plan out what he was going to say.

"Look," The man in Brown began, as he reached into one of the cupboards for a mug. "I know this is going to sound harsh, but you really can't stay."

Can't. Stay? The words didn't make much sense to the Metacrisis Doctor. He had just as much of a right to the Tardis as the other did.

"Hold on. Did you say I wasn't allowed to stay?! But where will I go? What about you? The Tardis? _Rose_? I can't leave her-"

The real Doctor cut him off. "I know you can't leave her. That's why I'm making her go with you."

The Metacrisis Doctor took a little while to process this information. His hands dropped to the counter, helping to support him. It was quite a shock to the Metacrisis Doctor. Why would the other man want to give up Rose, if he obviously loved her? He didn't understand the Time Lord's reasoning.

"Why? Why would you let Rose be with me?" He asked, somewhat quietly.

The Doctor set down the cup he was holding, and instead leaned back against the counter. "Rose needs to go back to her mum."

"So? Why are you sending me with her?"

"She's got to have someone to take care of her. Someone who will look at for her on the Parallel World."

"Rose knows how to take care of herself just fine." The Metatcrisis Doctor replied in defense.

"Look, there's only one person in all the universe that I can trust enough to make her happy. And that's me."

A silence fell over the two men as that sunk in.

The real Doctor opened his mouth, shut it, and opened it again. He was obviously unsure what to say. "You look like me. You talk like me. You have my memories. I _know_ you love her, more than anything. And you're human. You're perfect for Rose. You may think you need me, or Donna, or the Tardis, but we both know that's a lie. You need her. And she needs us."

The Metacrisis Doctor couldn't imagine the feeling in the other Doctor's stomach. Admitting that someone else was better for Rose - _his_ Rose - had to leave him feeling empty. He loved her with all his hearts. And now he had to give her up - and to a clone on top of it.

"I-" The Metacrisis Doctor paused, still slightly disbelieving. He looked down at his hands, which now gripped the counter tightly. He looked up and met the other man's eyes. When he replied, his voice was quiet and sincere. "I may have one heart, but that doesn't affect how much I care for her. I still love her. Just as much as you ever did. More than anything."

The other man nodded his head, and turned his back to finish making the tea. As he turned, the Metacrisis Doctor could've sworn he saw a tear.

The Doctor just gave up Rose. Willingly. Without a fight. Even if it was the best for her, it still must've hurt. It made the other Doctor feel sick imagining it, and he swore he would never experience what that Doctor was now. He would always love Rose, even if she didn't love him.

The blue suited Doctor hopped of the counter when his other self finished making the tea, and each of them grabbed two cups to take to the console room.

The Tardis moved the kitchen considerably closer to the Console Room, so the distance was shortened by well over half. Before entering, the brown suited man shot a glance at the Metacrisis Doctor, who nodded in reply. They weren't going to mention anything to Rose. Donna probably had an idea of what was going on, with her Time Lord mind. That didn't mean they should spoil the remainder of Rose's time on the Tardis.

Both men plastered smiles on their faces as they walked into the room. They noticed that Donna and Rose had moved from their coral beam to lean on the console, but they were still deep in conversation.

"Oi! You two want to stop chatting a bit and spend some time with us?" The real Doctor said, his fake smile shifting into a real one.

"You were the ones off on 'Doctor-Doctor bonding time' if we remember correctly!" Rose shot back, easily picking up their usual banter. The man in brown passed her a cup of coffee as they shared a smile.

Donna and the Metacrisis Doctor chuckled, and he passed her his extra mug. They leaned back against the console, content to watch the Doctor and Rose smile and laugh together.

After all, the Metacrisis Doctor would literally have a lifetime with Rose. Why not let those two have a few more happy moments?

After all, they loved each other. More than anything.

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**I never ever ever like my endings, but I feel like this one actually turned out okay. :) I'd really appreciate any advice or tips you have that I can use to make my writing better. I am hoping to get better as I write more and more often, so I love the help. Tell me what I am lacking and I can work on it. :)  
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**Please review and tell me what you thought about the story and what I should fix! :D**

**Thanks for reading, and have a splendiforous day! (I know 'splendiforous' not a word, but it sounds pretty so I'm okay with using it.) **


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